Save at the pharmacy with a prescription discount card

Get access to low rates on medications through our partners

What Are Prescription Discount Cards?

A prescription discount card allows the cardholder to save on prescription drugs they purchase from their local pharmacy. It can be used in place of health insurance to make medication more affordable.

Prescription discount cards are typically seen as a win-win-win scenario for customers, drug companies, and pharmacies. Customers able to afford medicine they may not otherwise be able to; drug companies in turn widen their customer base; and pharmacies get people in the door to sell non-medication products and services.

How Prescription Discount Cards Work

Like a health insurance network, prescription discount cards have a network of participating partners that allow them to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Rather than presenting insurance information when filling a prescription, the cardholder presents their discount card to potentially receive further marked down prices.

Discount cards can be used in place of health insurance. Depending on the prescription discount card program, the cardholder may pay for their medication upfront and pick up their medication from their pharmacy, or may pay the discounted price at the time of filling their prescription.

How Much Do Prescription Discount Cards Cost?

Membership costs for prescription discount cards depend on the individual program. Many programs are free, and participants pay only the cost of filling their prescription. However, some programs, like the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, have annual membership fees for individual and family plans.

Prescription Discount Cards and Health Insurance

Prescription discount cards are not insurance, and should not be considered a complete replacement for health insurance coverage. Discount cards can be obtained whether or not the cardholder has insurance.

If a cardholder does not have insurance, many prescription drugs are prohibitively expensive. Prescription discount cards and reduce drug prices substantially in some cases.

For cardholders who do have health insurance coverage, the cardholder will have to decide whether to use their health insurance or their discount card. If prescription prices are subsidized by an insurance policy, the discount card cannot be used. However, cardholders can choose to use their prescription discount card in place of their health insurance when filling a prescription.

Why would someone choose to use a discount card instead of their health insurance?

The payment through the prescription discount card may be lower than the copay available through an health insurance policy.

A particular drug may not be covered by a health insurance policy’s formulary.

The cardholder may have a high deductible plan or separate prescription deductible that requires them to pay the full cost of their medication out of pocket.

It’s important to note that if the cardholder has a flexible spending account or health savings account, prescription discount cards can be used in conjunction with them to pay for the medication.

Where to Get Prescription Discount Cards

There are many options for prescription discount cards, and there are few limitations on where someone can apply for them. Many services such as Blink Health and ScriptSave have wide third party networks, allowing cardholders to fill their prescriptions at thousands of pharmacies around the country.

People can also look to specific pharmacies for discount cards; national chains such as CVS and Walgreens offer discount programs. These may have additional perks, like discounts on other items bought at those stores, but drug savings are limited to those chains.

Yes, we have to include some legalese down here. Read it larger on our legal page. Policygenius Inc. (“PolicyGenius”) is a licensed independent insurance broker. PolicyGenius does not underwrite any insurance policy described on this website. The information provided on this site has been developed by PolicyGenius for general informational and educational purposes. We do our best efforts to ensure that this information is up-to-date and accurate. Any insurance policy premium quotes or ranges displayed are non-binding. The final insurance policy premium for any policy is determined by the underwriting insurance company following application. Savings are estimated by comparing the highest and lowest price for a shopper in a given health class. For example: for a 30-year old non-smoker male in South Carolina with excellent health and a preferred plus health class, comparing quotes for a $500,000, 20-year term life policy, the price difference between the lowest and highest quotes is 60%. For that same shopper in New York, the price difference is 40%. Rates are subject to change and are valid as of 2/17/17.